Locked Doors
by Crazywindbag
Summary: "Not every door you open will lead you to your destination." Lucy is asked to safe keep keys from worlds other than hers or Edolas or even the Spirit World. These keys are said to be invincible and dangerous, and Lucy knows she can't ever use them but with powerful new foes right on the horizon, she isn't so sure keeping them closed away because of her own fear is really worth it.
1. A mission for everyone

**LUCY GRINNED AT** the excitement her teammates were showing. They said they had a surprise mission for her, and she couldn't wait to see what it was. It must be something extremely wonderful if it excited them so much.

"Lucy! Look!' Natsu said, running through the guild. Wendy jumped up in excitement. Natsu and Happy had been asked to fetch the mission papers; Lucy'd been sick most of the week and so they'd waited for her to be alright, but had gotten the papers signed off so that Master couldn't accuse them of "stealing" the papers without having gotten permission. Lucy was honoured they'd wait a whole week for her as she knew how impatient all of them-except Carla and Wendy, she supposed-could be.

Now that she thought about it, she'd never noticed that she had begun calling Wendy, Carla and Juvia part of the team, even though it was technically unofficial. They would tag along so often it seemed like they were a part of the team.

"What is it, Natsu?!' Lucy asked, her team's excitement contagious.

He passed her a paper. She scanned the content. Her eyes widened; A B class mission! These were rare, especially in Fairy Tail, because most of the times, any missions above C class would be taken right away. B and A class missions' rewards were in between 1000000-1400000, which would last a person-rent, food, clothes and other things they want-for more than a month.

And as mages, it was hard to earn so many jewels, especially if you weren't all that powerful. Hence, why most mages often had second-hand jobs along with being in a Mage guild.

Shaking the thoughts away, she continued reading.

**Seven strong mages needed to defeat the Wyvern attack. Over 100 wyverns attacking a small village near the forest.**

**P.S Need mages with air magic and the ability to fly**

**Reward - 1, 200,000, a silver key, the Dress of Doom and ice magic enhancing bracelet.**

**Warning; Dragons sighted near!**

It was a short and quite simple request, but she could see why it was a B class. In fact, it should've been S class, but for some reason, it wasn't. That made Lucy a bit suspicious.

"What's the Dress of Doom?' She asked, curiously.

Erza piped up, gleefully, "It is an armour that allows me to paralyze an opponent, as long as they are weaker than I am," She exclaimed. There was a determined fire in her eyes, as she said, "That means I must get even stronger so there is no one stronger than myself."

Natsu seemed offended. "That's not even possible! Igneel can easily kick your ass. And I'm gonna learn to do that too! I'm gonna be the strongest."

Gray scoffed. "Not with me here." He said, and soon they were clashing. Arguing again.

Something came to Lucy.

"Hey, guys? Isn't it weird that we're all requested here, indirectly enough? I mean, it's asking for seven people. There're seven people here. On top of that, it's asking for those that can fly, like Happy and Carla, and an air mage, like Wendy. It has rewards for all of us, and there are dragon sightings, that can easily tempt Natsu and Wendy! Plus, isn't it weird we're the only ones who got such an awesome mission? Normally, it would've gotten snatched straight away." Lucy pointed out.

Erza rubbed her neck, thoughtfully.

"Master gave it to us. I suppose even he thought it was strangely specific." Erza revealed.

"Does that mean that the person is asking our team to pick this job, specifically?' Wendy asked with Carla in agreement.

"It's cos we're so awesome." Natsu and Happy exclaimed simultaneously.

Lucy sighed in annoyance-although it never stopped her from being immensely fond of the two-and gritted out,

"Can't you get anything through your brains? It's obviously a trap!' As Happy was crying about how mean Lucy was, Master came from behind them.

"That, my dear, is where you're wrong. While it is peculiar how specific it is, the mission is from Asahara. He's the son of the mayor of the town attacked. And he's a trusted sponsor of the guild."

Recognition settled upon Erza's face, "He's the one won three silver keys from Duke Everlue!'

"He did?' Lucy asked incredulously. "He's a spirit mage?'

"No, he's just a kind man who didn't want the Duke's cruelty inflicted on the keys." Makarov smiled. Lucy immediately seemed to warm up to the man-whom she had not yet met-and was more than ready to go on the mission now.

* * *

"We hope your journey was pleasant." Said the handsome man who had just entered. "Sorry for the wait." He said, settling his glasses on his nose, his amber eyes twinkling.

They'd only waited five minutes.

"No, no. Thank you for sending this mission to Fairy Tail. We hope you do so again in the future should you need us." Erza smiled, politely.

"Ah, no need to thank me. Fairy Tail is my favourite guild!' He said, a childlike awe showing in his eyes, though he kept his voice steady and professional. "Anyway, down to business, my town has been attacked by these wyverns twice now. Luckily, we have our own solo mages who have been able to keep most people safe. Unfortunately, each time the number of the wyverns increases. We don't know why they're attacking, or where they come from. Three of our villagers are already dead; we can't afford to lose more lives."

Lucy gasped, Wendy staring at the stoic man in horror.

Natsu angrily got up, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's stop wasting time and go!'

Lucy stopped him. She squinted at the man, growing up an heiress, she knew very well how to negotiate. And when there were important things the other person wished to say.

"What?' Natsu whined, "You're gonna be all smartass now, I know it!' He said.

Lucy glared at him, then turned to the man. "There's something you haven't mentioned, isn't there?'

If he was surprised at her ability to read people, he didn't show it. "Yes, there is. Thank you, Miss Lucy.' He nodded gratefully. "I believe they are guarding something. I did some research and even investigated these attacks myself, well, as much as someone without magic could. And they're all coming from an ex-mining site located near here. There are many secrets in that mining site, hence why it got closed off by the magic council-" Natsu groaned. "-And there must be something important enough for the wyverns to not only guard, but for them to even attempt to drive us off and kill those who remain in this area If you go to the mining site, you'll be able to defeat most of the wyverns and please do take a look at what the object is if you can. I'm quite a curious person if I do say so myself."

Erza and Carla listened carefully, nodding seriously once he finished talking, in the promise of returning successfully.

The whole time Lucy couldn't help but ponder on what Mr Kaito Asahara had told them. Or the weird feeling she felt around him. She felt pulled towards him. At first, she thought she was attracted to him; and admittedly, he was a very attractive man. But this feeling was different than what she'd felt for others.

And for some reason, she hadn't felt that feeling in so long now. Maybe, none of the men around her were good enough. She was sure that wasn't true, deep inside, but she told herself that, it's not like she had a big ego anyway, so it couldn't hurt, right?

The feeling she felt for Kaito was more of an emotional bond as if she knew him.

But she'd never met him before.

As her team blasted any wyverns they met, she and Carla discussed what this treasure could possibly be.

"What if it's a rare jewel?' Lucy asked, not sure if she was asking herself or Carla.

"Why would a bunch of wyverns guard a jewel? That's something dragons do."

Lucy stopped. "Wait-"

"**-there was a dragon mentioned in the mission papers. But Mr Asahara said nothing about that.**

**Why?'**


	2. The keys that destroyed a kingdom

**IT HAPPENED SO FAST** that not a single member of Team Natsu had anticipated it. It was as though they'd set foot into another realm, and broken the line in-between. The air rippled like the surface of a pool. The weather changed within seconds, clouds covering the sun,distant thunder a breath away.

And here they were.

The flaming, red dragon before them stood tall and majestic. Lucy had at first assumed it was Igneel, because of the similar colour of their flesh, but this dragon had a lighter tone. More playful. As though it had never seen the horrors of a even a single battle, let alone a war.

Natsu clenched his fists. He'd known right away it wasn't Igneel, but he sure as hell didn't ask for a reminder of his dead "father".

The dragon spoke, it's booming voice echoing around them. Even it's voice was lighter, not as deep as Igneel's.

"You have crossed over to my domain, mortals. What for?' He questioned. It was difficult to determine if he was angry, or simply curious.

"We were not warned this would happen." Erza replied, holding her ground, yet also being respectful. Even Erza knew not to risk the wrath of a dragon, especially if it could be avoided.

"Still, what brings you here, mortals?'

It inexplicably annoyed Lucy that he insisted on calling them mortals, despite it being the truth. She was certain the legacy of Fairy Tail would live on for centuries to come, and that it would survive longer than this puny dragon would.

But she calmed herself down. One wrong step, one wrong word and she could get them all killed. Luckily for her, she was a heiress. A master negotiater.

"We're here to investigate the wyverns that have recently attacked the town only a little way to the east of here. As my friend has told you, we weren't informed we would be crossing into your territory."

The dragon laughed. It shook the whole place, or that's what if felt like.

"That is because they did not expect that you would be capable of crossing the line. Of course, they knew this realm exists, but none have crossed. Until now," He laughed. "You have accomplished something far greater than just defeating a few wyverns. You've found the realm of the dragons. And I, the gatekeeper, welcome you into our land."

Lucy had watched the colours drain out of Natsu's eyes once. When his father had fallen before him. She now watched life fill them, a happiness she wished she could've seen before. He'd never shone so bright, not like right now.

The family he found, he loved greatly, the family he mad, loved them even more. But the family that'd been there when he was little, that had raised him from a little bitsy-boo to what he was now, even if he hadn't always been there. He had loved Igneel beyond reason.

She snapped out of her thoughts and found herself and her friends being led by the dragon, deep into a beautiful forest. It's emerald leaves glowed beneath the golden sun, the trees taller than mountains, making peculiar shadows on the forest floor. Sounds of all kinds came from every direction, including sounds Lucy had never heard before.

She was astonished to see a shadow fly over her. A regal horse had leaped above them-no, not leaped-_flew _above them. Its magneficent wings spread out. She could hear Wendy, Happy and Natsu muttering to themselves before abruptly stopping to see the pegasus.. Erza was saying something to Gray, when she paused, her eyes turning up in wonder.

She could see, from the corner of her eyes, her friends were just as awed by it as she. She realised how lucky they were to see this surreal world. Suddenly her foot crunched on something; a dead leaf. She hadn't seen a single dead plant, leaf, flower or such since she'd entered this place. A wilting, blackened plant hid behind a massive tree, only tips poking out.

Even on Earthland, nothing was uglier. And yet, this was the most gorgeous place she'd ever seen. That made no sense to Lucy. Her eyes met Erza's. Something wasn't right. But before she could ask...

The dragon led them to the most massive palace she'd ever seen. Fiore's palace looked like a hut compared to this castle. Its glass walls rose high above, decorated with crystals, shades of colours she had never even seen in her life. Gems studded the towers, which rose so high that Lucy couldn't see them beyond the clouds.

They were covered with vines with all kinds of flowers. Golden flowers, silver flowers, cerulean flowers, violet flowers. You name it.

It almost made Lucy wish she was a dragon.

Inside, it was bustling with humans, dragons and more species than she could count. Some humans turned into dragons right in front of her eyes, and vice versa. It was magical to watch, and they were mages.

No one said a word throughout the journey. The dragon then led them to back veranda, with walls made of gold. It shone so bright that Lucy had to cover her eyes.

"OW OW OW, MY EYES," Howled Natsu. Everyone ignored him and continued on.

But Lucy noticed something standing out like a sore thumb. The garden was stunning, its greens and reds and hues of pinks that glowed brightly, looking beautiful. A marble fountain in the middle that was so big that Lucy was pretty sure it was bigger than her apartment. Cerulean water flowed gently down the fountain, spraying shining, blue droplets. Plants had gems and diamonds growing out of them.

Yet one side of the garden had wilted. Blackened, turned to ash and died.

Everyone stopped, unable to look away.

"Wha-," Natsu was cut off.

"This is what _they _have done to our home." The dragon said, grimly.

"Who?'

And that was when he pulled out black marble keys. "Them."


	3. Missing Fairies

**THREE BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED **keys sat in the dragon's claws. They glowed a warm glow, a contrast to their pitch blackness. Dangerous energy radiated from them. A feeling bloomed in Lucy's chest, and no, this time Natsu had nothing to do with it.

Her hands reached out for it, and the dragon held them forward. For a split second, the keys and Lucy were the only things in existence. Erza stopped her.

"Look," She warned. Lucy looked back at the keys and saw them floating towards her, looking darker than ever. Something had pulled her towards them.

"They belong to you." The dragon said. He looked relieved to be rid of them.

"L-look. I know I'm a celestial Mage, but I've never even heard of these keys! How can I be the owner of them?'

"Because you and your friends crossed over to our side. You think it's because you're all exceptional mages?' The dragon grinned, sharp teeth gleaming dangerously. He poked a claw right above her heart, not enough to harm her.

"The request was specifically for you and your friends, my dear." And suddenly he shrunk. Before them stood the man they'd met before. Mr Asahara.

"You're...not really the mayor of the town, are you?' Wendy asked.

The man simply smiled.

"The quest, was it a ruse?' Carla asked.

"Come, mages. You have many challenges ahead of you." Asahara said.

He began walking but no one followed.

"Answer the question, Asahara," Erza said, holding her ground.

He turned around, and suddenly they were moving against their will. No matter what they said, even if they screamed, no sound came out.

He took them to the east wing of the castle. As they climbed the stairs, gems flashed by, the crystal walls studded with hundreds of them. They climbed and climbed for what seemed to be hours. They knew the castle was massive, and it would take time to scale it, so they didn't understand why Asahara didn't just turn into his "dragon-form" thing and carry them.

After what seemed to be many, many hours they finally reached the top. The room was bigger than their whole guildhall. In the centre of the room, there was a large cage. All of them could have comfortably fit into it.

Instead, there was one, ragged woman inside. She stood up abruptly when she saw them, coming over to the bars of the cage, clutching them tightly. There was a wild look in her eyes, something dangerous and unhinged. But Lucy felt an immediate connection, just like she did with Asahara. She was beginning to realise it wasn't attraction, at all.

"Six little birdies, and the big, bad dragon. Oooo I'm scared," She sang, deranged.

Natsu grimaced. "Why the Hell are we here?!'

Gray told him to shut up, which caused a glaring match between the two. They didn't argue, but only because Erza was there.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Wah, a celestial mage,"

Lucy was astonished that the woman recognised her magic. "How-"

"I can feel your aura,"

Lucy couldn't bring herself to be surprised. The others never saw beneath the woman's ragged appearance, but Lucy could see years of grief and experience in her eyes. A small flame of curiosity bloomed in her mind, the first mistake.

And then she realised exactly who this woman was.

* * *

**MASTER NEVER EXPECTED **something like this to escalate. When he had received the mission from his friend, Asahara, he had never thought anything could possibly go wrong.

But he'd just gotten a letter. From his so-called friend. And it told him that his children weren't coming back and he should get used to it and forget about them as soon as possible. Like Hell they weren't coming back, he thought to himself. He'd drag them back if he had to.

With this, he set course for Asahara's village. But when he got to the place that was addressed in the mission paper he had accepted for Team Natsu, it was simply a forest.

No matter where Master looked, only tall, dark trees surrounded him. Not a single sign of a village. That was when he realised that his children may be in grave danger.


End file.
